ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Braden Halladay didn’t fully realize the ovation he received in his Canadian team debut until he watched the highlights after the game.

He doesn’t let much break his concentration while he’s pitching — much like his father in that regard.

The 17-year-old son of the late Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay spent parts of the last week with Canada’s junior team in Florida, highlighted by his debut against the Blue Jays in Dunedin on Saturday. He threw a three-up, three-down inning and left the mound to a hearty applause from the crowd and both dugouts.

“Honestly I was kind of focused on pitching so I didn’t really think about it until afterwards,” the lanky teenager said Saturday before Canada’s final game of the week at Walter Fuller Sports Complex.

“It was one of those things where I was just in the zone in that moment and I didn’t really think about it then. But looking back on video it was crazy.”

Braden first realized he was eligible to play on Canada’s team during a trip to St. Marys, Ont., for Roy Halladay’s induction into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Braden thought it would be a nice way to remind people of his own connection to Toronto.

The right-hander was born in the Canadian city and spent nearly 10 years there before his father was traded to Philadelphia in Dec. 2009.

“In the States people don’t really realize this is where I’m from so it’s kind of cool to show people this side of me,” Braden said. “Like ‘hey, this is where I’m from, this is who I am.”‘

Braden only pitched that one inning for Canada over the week — he still had his high school pitching duties at Calvary Christian in Clearwater, where his Warriors team is ranked No. 2 in the country — but he’s expressed interest in playing for Canada again. The under-18 team reconvenes next month for an extended spring camp in Palm Beach, Fla., then goes to the Dominican Republic for 10 days in May.

Roy Halladay died last November when the small sport plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Now Braden pays homage to his father whenever he steps on the mound, scribbling “dad” in the dirt before he throws his first pitch.

“I do it every time, in my high school games and everything,” he said. “It’s become a ritual.”

While Braden, with his light blonde hair and tall frame, shares physical similarities to his father, he doesn’t quite match the velocity Roy Halladay had when the Blue Jays selected him in the first round of the 1995 draft.

Braden tops out around 83 miles per hour, far from the 95 his father would often clock in high school. But Braden, still a high school junior who’s not eligible for the MLB draft for another year, doesn’t feel pressure to live up those standards.

“Other people always put those expectations on you, like: ‘You’re Roy Halladay’s son, you should be the best pitcher at your age no matter where you are,’ things like that. But there was never any pressure from him,” Braden said. “He didn’t even make me play baseball and he never put any pressure on me to live up to him.”

Toronto’s big leaguers were impressed not only with Braden’s outing in Dunedin, but with his mature demeanour.

“It’s amazing to see his composure out there on the mound,” said Canadian reliever John Axford. “Getting a three-up, three down inning and walking off hearing the crowd and seeing guys from the Blue Jays and Team Canada standing up and clapping, he seems so composed and I’m sure that’s something that has been passed on from his father.”

“That was really special for him,” added second baseman Devon Travis. “I really liked his entrance to the mound, he saluted his father. He’s a strong kid.”

Braden and his family will be in Toronto for Opening Day when the Blue Jays retire Roy Halladay’s No. 32 before playing the Yankees on Thursday afternoon.

He said that will be a special moment, and a touching tribute.

“It’s cool, especially having that jersey in my house, to know he’ll be the last person who wore (the number),” Braden said. “It shows the level of respect for a player from the organization.

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